Tagged Questions
-2
votes
1answer
112 views
“to spread over” vs. “to spread across” [closed]
I doubt whether I should use "over" or "across" for a liquid spreading "along" a surface.
3
votes
1answer
91 views
“Tabled”, US vs UK [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the meaning of the expression “We can table this”?
Here's an example snippet for some context.
Ann had an idea. We tabled her idea.
In the UK this means ...
5
votes
3answers
203 views
Ambiguity of “to be” + gerund
I would like to ask about a basic sentence that really confuses me.
My favorite sport is swimming.
I think it is strange. "Swimming" can be interpreted as a gerund ("I like to swim; it is my ...
53
votes
14answers
3k views
How to avoid ambiguity in “I am renting an apartment in New York”?
Does the sentence:
I am renting an apartment in New York.
imply that I am the landlord or the tenant?
How can I unequivocally communicate that I am the tenant (or the landlord)?
5
votes
1answer
678 views
Is “to have to do something with” ambiguous?
I am struggling with understanding of this structure. So here is something I would need to explain:
It has to do something with the car. [It is related to the car somehow.]
But what if I want to ...
6
votes
3answers
167 views
Interpreting ambiguous agreement
We're proud of our tortilla chips and we hope you'll agree.
It may seem trivial but I've seen similar remarks on other products and it just doesn't feel like a valid sentence because I can't ...
3
votes
2answers
289 views
Is “We embraced.” a complete sentence?
Can someone write "we embraced" to mean "we embraced each other?"
3
votes
3answers
264 views
Does “someone appeared to help me” have two meanings?
Someone appeared to help me.
If I get it right, this sentence can either mean:
"It seems like someone was helping me." (seems like = appear to)
"Someone showed up to help me." (show up = ...
7
votes
5answers
318 views
“Gadhafi forces retreat” - how do you understand that?
Our local newspaper had the headline today "Gadhafi forces retreat" and I read it with "retreat" as the verb instead of "forces" as the verb. I know it is a poorly written headline, but which way is ...
